Wristwatch strap



July 30, 1968 E. KEHRER 3,394,852

WRISTWATGH STRAP Filed 9. 1967 INVENTOR TTORNEY United States Patent 3,394,852 WRISTWATCH STRAP Edmond Kehrer, Jardinets 9, La Chaux-de-Fond's, Neuchatel, Switzerland Filed Jan. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 608,178 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 15, 1966, 2,181/66 2 Claims. (Cl. 224-4) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Strap adjustment and watch case attachment means for a wristwatch strap the body of which is of nonmetallic material. The ends of the strap fit into retainer members and are engaged at selected points by inwardly facing claws. Hooks are hinged to the outer ends of the retainer members for attachment to spindles carried by the watch case. One hook is tightly attached to its related spindle while the other hook is disengageable from its spindle to facilitate removal of the strap and case from the wrist of the wearer.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch strap the greater part of which is formed of a non-metallic material which is attached to the watch-case by hooking means.

Generally, non metallic wristwatch straps, that is to say wrist-straps of leather, plastic material or other material, comprise two strands, each of which are fixed by one of its ends to the watch-case, whereas the other ends of the strands are connected one to the other 'by a loop or other type closing member. This typical construction of a wristwatch strap presents various disadvantages, in particular the following:

The thickness of the wrist-strap is considerable at the point of superposition of the two strands of the strap or band forming the greater part of the wrist-strap.

This thickness is further increased by the nooses or sliding keepers guaranteeing the superposition of the two strands.

The loops or other closing devices of this type tend to mark and damage the strands of the wrist-straps in a. relatively short period of time.

For watch dealers, standard wrist-straps have the disadvantage of necessitating stocking a large number of wrist-straps of different lengths, to permit adapting the same to the varying sizes of the wrists of the users.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages. The improvement provided by my invention is characterized by the fact that the non metallic strap is of one piece and is fixed in an adjustable manner in length to the hook means of the watch-case.

The accompanying drawing shows, diagrammatically and by way of example, one embodiment of the wriststrap according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of said wrist-strap connected to a watch-case.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one end of the wrist-strap and of the corresponding hook means, one element being removed for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line III-IH of FIG. 2, showing the wrist-strap in the assembling position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing one end of the wrist-strap and hook means in assembled relationship.

The wristwatch strap is formed, to the greater extent, by a non metallic strap 1 comprising, for example, a strip of leather, plastic material, or another satisfactory material. The strap 1 may be formed in a known manner of a composite band comprising a high resistance inner 3,394,852 Patented July 30, 1968 textile portion, covered by a leather sheath. Said strap 1 is adapted to be fixed to the spindle-s 2 of a watch-case 3 by hook means indicated generally by the reference number 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, said hook means 4 comprises a trough-shaped element 5, and a tongue 6 opposite the open portion of said element. In this embodiment, the element 5 and the tongue 6 are formed by means of a folded or reversely bent metal blank, so that said elements 5 and 6 form at their connecting a uniting edge 7, a hinge element which is adapted to receive an axle or pin 8 forming the connecting link of the hinge. A book element 9 is hinged to the axle 8. The hook-shaped curved outer end portion 10 of said hook element 9 is adapted to be engaged on the corresponding spindle 2 of the watch-case 3.

The trough-shaped element 5 has edges 11 folded inwardly. A locking plate 12 is adapted to be slipped under said folded edges 11 to force the tongue 6 and the claws 13 provided at the free end thereof, against the end 14 of the strap 1, once the latter is engaged in the trough-shaped element 5. In FIG. 2, the plate 12 is shown withdrawn so as to show the position of the tongue 6. The plate 12 has an opening 15 in which a pointed tool, such as a screwdriver, may be engaged to facilitate the sliding of said plate 12 into position.

It will be readily understood from the preceding de scription that the strap 1 may easily be adjusted in length in the trough-shaped element 5, since it is sufiicient to withdraw the plate 12 from its assembled position to permit the separation of the tongue '6 and the claws 13 from end 14 of the strap and thus place the end 14 in another position in relation to the element 5". Forthe watch dealer, this wrist-strap construction permits stocking a wrist-strap of a single length, that is to say one of the largest normal size, which can be adapted to the varying sizes of the users wrists by merely cutting one end of the strap 1 and engaging the end 14 in the troughshaped element 5. The re-engagement of the plate 12 beneath edges 11 ensures'the locking of the end 14 relative to the element 5 by engagement of the claws 13 transversely in said end 14.

Once the wrist-strap has been adapted to the size of the users wrist, one of the hook elements 9 may be tightened securely around one of the spindles 2 of the watch-case, while the other hook element 9 hinged at the other end of the strap 1 retains its illustrated shape of a hook 10 to permit the ready engagement of said book 10 on the axle 2, as well as its disengagement when the user wishes to remove his watch.

It will be seen from the preceding description that the wrist-watch strap shown in the drawing is of much simpler manufacture than that of usual wrist-straps, since the straps 1 can be cut from a band of great length or even from a continuous hand without difficulty. The replacement of the strap 1 after the same is worn or soiled can be effected without loss of time, since it is sufficient to disengage the plates 12 from the elements 5 to withdraw the worn strap 1 and substitute a new strap 1 therefor.

I claim:

1. A wristwatch strap for attachment to a watch case, said watch case including oppositely disposed spindle members, said strap comprising a one piece non metallic body, strap adjustment means secured to opposite ends of said body for adjusting the length thereof, means connecting said strap adjustment means to said watch case, said strap adjustment means comprising a trough-shaped member including inwardly folded edges, a tongue member disposed opposite the open portion of said trough member and joined thereto, said tongue member including claw elements directed toward the bottom of the trough and adapted to engage at a selected point an end portion of said strap body inserted in said trough to provide adjustment of the length of the strap, and a locking plate slidable beneath said inwardly folded edges and overlying said tongue to force the hooks of said tongue into engagement with the end portion of the strap body.

2. A Wristwatch strap according to claim 1 wherein said trough-shaped member and said tongue are formed of a reversely bent metal blank, and include a hinge pin located within the bent portion of said blank, and said connecting means includes a hook element one end of which is connected to said hinge pin, the opposite end being connected to a spindle member of said watch case.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,692,511 11/1928 Mix.

1,701,339 2/ 1929 Roy.

1,765,966 6/1930 Clark 224-4 1,866,670 7/ 1932 Roy.

10 ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

R. BALLANTYNE, Assistant Examiner. 

